An investigation has been launched by police after human remains were found in a field in Test Valley.

The grim discovery was made by a member of the public near Magnolia Walk, Abbotswood, near Timsbury, just after 10am on Sunday.

A police spokesman said the body is believed to have been in the field for “some time”.

The family of missing man Steven Lockyer has been informed of the discovery.

Romsey resident Mr Lockyer was reported missing in April 2016.

Geoff Tesch, 54, who lives in Romsey, said they thought a smell in the area had come from an animal which had been hit by a car and dragged itself into the undergrowth before dying.

"We thought it was a rabbit or a deer," Mr Tesch said.

"Where it is all overgrown in the summer, you cannot see anything.

"We then saw police digging so when we got told it was a body, it all fell into place. It was a bit of a shock."

A Hampshire Police spokesman added: “An investigation into the identity of the deceased and the circumstances of death are ongoing.”